Early spring, 1971. Greece. An island. A ferry. An interminable trip that seemed to go on… and on…

When you have a child of 28 months, you try to avoid boat trips lasting four hours. For that matter, you also try to avoid plane trips of 12 hours, but back then, we were foolhardy. Or just fools. I have no photos from the Montreal-to-Athens-and-return plane trips, but just imagine that the barf bags so kindly provided by Olympic Airways were put to good use. On second thought, just take my word for it. 😬

No matter! We were determined to live an adventurous life, and that’s what brought my then-film-producer husband, little daughter and me to Greece, way back when. Taking a break from the grueling chores of movie pre-production, the three co-producers (my now-ex Bob, George and Steve) decided we should take a weekend day trip to the celebrated island of Hydra.

Why celebrated? Well for one thing, it was the erstwhile idyllic home for some time of poet-musician Leonard Cohen and his lady love, Marianne Islen. Many other famous people liked to visit there – it was small, pretty and unspoiled by paparazzi and commercial interests (at least, back then). We were told upon landing that we had “just missed” Jacqueline Onassis, who had left the day before. Darn. Not that we’d ever have been able to get anywhere near her, I’m sure.

As it turns out, all I remember from this celebrated island – apart from the endless ferry ride to and from there is:

• no cars allowed
• it’s very hilly
• wonderful tavernas with great food (Although the octopus turned me off. I will not eat anything with antennae… or tentacles.)
• great live bouzouki musicians, playing forbidden Mikis Theodorakis pieces (forbidden, since the famed composer was an outspoken opponent of the right-wing junta ruling Greece then)
• houses all built of white stucco and pretty blue trimmed roofs

I would love to go back someday; and this time I’d stay longer and do a lot more sightseeing. But first I’d have to win the lottery.

ΩΩΩ

If you missed my earlier pieces about our 3.5-month sojourn in Greece, here are the links:

Meanwhile, back in Greece

Greece: Episode Two – I knocked harder.

Greece: Episode Three – How to steal a stroller

A Piece of the Rock